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repo

cwb143

New Member
A client did not pay the remaining 50% bal. on Monument Sign and Building Sign. Can go and take down all his signs legally?
 

Billct2

Active Member
Probably not, a lot depends on your contract language. Best bet is a contractors lien/small claims court.
 

BigfishDM

Merchant Member
If someone doesn't pay me half and I see my sign, I am taking half that sign back with me! Of course it is probably not legal but the satisfaction I would get personally would probably out weigh a the fine.

I would take RJ's advice and talk to an attorney.
 

d fleming

New Member
Most often once it is installed on their property it is theirs. If they do not pay you have to lien the property, which you should have done to begin with, and go to court. I contract a lot more than signs and contractors liens are routinely filed in permitting process and released at end of project. Didn't used to be that way but sadly it's the world we live in now.
 

Rick

Certified Enneadecagon Designer
Does the city you put the sign in require you to fill out a sign contractors license for the city, and did you go through the formality?
Did you you pull the permit?
How long ago was this?

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If the terms specify you can repossess the signage, how the timeframe and access occurs, you might...MIGHT... have a right to repossess... if you had a lawyer read through your contract to begin with. Really tough if not impossible to implement...

Are you within the 4 months allowed to file a Contractors/Mechanics Lien.

My State you have to have a Contractors license, without one, you would not have a leg to stand on - and you would have to pay the deposit back... I think in Oklahoma, if the city required you to file with them that you are a Sign Contracter with all the proper insurance and bond, and you did not, you are probably S-O-L...

A lawyer would be in order... if you did not jump through all the legal hoops, you might have issues with the thieving client...
 

oldgoatroper

Roper of Goats. Old ones.
I think what happened is.....you noticed a defect in your work and you had to bring it back to your shop to fix and correct...

I like the way you're thinking... and obviously, its an electrical defect that could endanger the public... so they can't say, "oh we don't mind... "
 

visual800

Active Member
Id damn sure take it down or half of it if thats possible.

Attorneys will waste your waste your money, small claims court is BS. be proactive and take it down and do what K Girl said "maybe it had a an issue that needed to be fixed. You will get paid quicker than you imagined
 

sagesign

New Member
I've fortunately only had one time where I got jerked around about being paid the balance on an installed sign. It went on for a couple of weeks, them forgetting their checkbook, the person writing checks was out, etc. I decided I'd spend a couple of minutes on a banner design saying Beware of doing business with xxxxx, they do not pay their invoices. Emailed the design to them and said the banner was going up in front of my shop in two days. I received a check hand delivered in about two hours.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
We have an 'A' frame sign stating the exact thing. Used it once and it worked like a charm.

Lawyers, courts and whatnot....... they're all a necessary evil. You see, the contract you had them sign, is one kind of law. It's contractual law. You do this, they do that and all are happy in the end. However, if you put the sign up, it's still considered theirs, just not yet paid for in full. However, if you have trouble collecting, that is civil law and it gets dirty sometimes. Now, if you go take your sign down for any reason..... even a bogus repair call tag, you are now tresspassing, stealing someone's property and committing felonies according to the signs worth. Those are not covered in your original contract.... are they ??

Just because you cannot figure out how to make someone pay for their sign, does not give you the right to commit so many illegal acts. You'll end up being in a lot more hot water then them with an outstanding invoice.

Sometimes the threat of removing it might work, but not usually. People are smarter today, than years ago.

There are laws to help you and protect you, but if you go about it wrong, those same laws will work for the other guy and totally against you.

Be careful and govern yourself accordingly.
 

Johnny Best

Active Member
Well, when the cops come and you tell your story they will tell you its a legal matter and you need to go through the courts.
If your contracts have it in there that you can take the sign back if they don't pay then your covered. Good luck, Big Dawg.
 

ams

New Member
I've been through this, you need to take it to court and when you win, the judge will lend you a sheriff who will stay with you on the property while you repo the sign. If you just go out and do it, you can be sued or face serious legal issues, because nothing had been proven. Also all of your invoices/quotes need to say that you have the right to repo the sign if not paid in full.
 
C

ColoPrinthead

Guest
do some graffiti on it, then charge 1.5 times more when they come to have it replaced.
 
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Starter

New Member
When customers do not pay their bill we show up and ask for the owner or manager to inform them that we are here to repo their sign. It doesn't take long before payment is made in full.
Just showing up and going through the motions is most times enough for them to pay up.
 
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